The phenomenon of ageing of the skin is linked to numerous factors and in particular relating to the face; with advancing age, a loss of volume at the cheeks, cheekbones, and temples is noted. This characteristic is very visible and deeply marks the face, which is, it must be recalled, the part of the human being that is always visible.
During this loss of volume, related effects unfortunately reinforce this impression; in particular, the lines become hollow, the contours sag, and wrinkles are accentuated.
The mechanism is complex. The shapes and the contours of the face result from deep subcutaneous structures that ensure the support thereof.
With age, muscle tone decreases, and the subcutaneous fatty mass moves toward the bottom of the face.
Ptosis appears and leads to the formation of jowls, in particular.
This phenomenon is not linear and is manifested more intensely on skin exposed to light.
The skin that is subjected to ultraviolet (UV) radiation becomes loose, wrinkled, rough and sprinkled with hypo-pigmented or hyper-pigmented spots.
The face, as indicated above, is always exposed, and 80% of its ageing is attributed to exposure to the sun.
Actually, the UV radiation, in addition to well-known structural changes of the epidermis and the dermis that it produces, causes an alteration in the functionality of the adipocytes. Their adipogenesis and lipogenesis capacities are diminished and the volumes of the adipocytes decrease, which produces a gradual melting of the subcutaneous fat.
In addition, the UV radiation, in particular the UVA, reaches the dermis but can also impact the hypodermis, while it is not reached by said radiation, in so doing by indirect actions.